Day 120-128 – 1/30-2/9/24

Starting location: Safe Harbor Marina, Marathon Island in the Florida Keys.

Weather: 60s to 70s. Mostly sunny. One day of hard rain. Calm most of the time except for 3 days of strong winds in the middle of our stay (up to 40mph gusts)

Ending location: Bahia Honda State Park Marina, Bahia Honda Key, FL. MM 1205 on AICW.

Statute miles: Approximately 12, then 0 until departure

General summary: Easy motor to Bahia Honda State Park Marina. Very laid back place, which we liked. Several campsites outside of marina and beaches on both the Gulf and Atlantic sides. Ran into many other Loopers and had docktales. There were resident manatees popping up on occasion and neon striped parrot fish that could be seen in shallow water at slack tide.

We paid for a snorkel trip (pontoon boat leaves from marina) to Looe Key. Perfect conditions and saw lots of colorful fish, coral, barracuda, and a nurse shark. They rented out all the equipment we needed, including wet suits. The water wasn’t terribly cold (upper 60s) but the air temperature was in the low 70s, so the wetsuits helped prolong our comfort, which we appreciated.

Lovely sunsets.

Took the bus to Grassy Key to check out the dolphin rescue center.

Did several hikes. One on Big Pine Key.

And another hike at Crane Point Hammock trail on Marathon.

Another hammock trail hike on Marathon and lots of walks on trails and roadways in Bahia Honda Key.

There was a stargazing event one night where some astronomers brought telescopes and provided celestial information. We got to see Jupiter and Saturn in greater detail than I’ve ever seen before.

We decided not to motor to Key West because we’d both been there before so didn’t think it was worth the gas, the time getting to and from, potentially getting stuck due to weather, and the steep price for marinas slips ($6.50 a foot at one place). I did take the bus down and spent a few hours seeing the sights. Missed the nightly sunset celebration at Mallory Square, but I’ve done that before and the last bus left around 7, so didn’t want to risk getting stuck there.

Boater information: Highly recommend staying at Bahia Honda State Park. Speak to the concessions manager about a slip reservation (not the park manager and you can’t reserve a marina spot on line) as far in advance as you can. This is a popular stop. Apparently land campsites are reserved a year in advance. You can stay in the marina up to 14 days. Only $2.50 a foot plus $2.50 a day to live aboard. Dockside power and water. You can use a shower at one of the campsites. Free pump out (although spot is sometimes blocked by a boat if the marina is full). Bus ($4 each way) from Marathon to Key West and back. No groceries, gas or laundry on the island. You can’t use soap, so you can do dishes at the campsite.